I am a licensed psychotherapist (LMFT). I hold a BA in Sociology and MA in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Somatic Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. I am a founding member of the UCSF Path program team and have been a clinician, educator and collaborative member of the program’s development for 10 years. You can learn more about my work with the Path program below. A focus of my ethics and clinical activist work can be best described by a field of research called epistemic justice in health care. This broadly can be defined as the right for clients to be understood by providers and systems of power as the “knower” of their experiences and a vital contribution to positive change in their care. My aim in psychotherapeutic and client centered advocacy work is to empower clients to both expand their capacity to be with their complex experiences and exercise their right to author them.

Training and Expertise:

Relational therapy: I am trained in Accelerated Dynamic Experiential Psychotherapy (AEDP, Level II), which is an emotion focused experiential psychotherapy based in attachment theory. AEDP is model where the therapist takes an active role in supporting new client-therapist experiences to help facilitate healthy attachment and address issues of trauma, suffering, loss, and ruptured/damaged attachments effectively and compassionately.

Somatic Therapy: I am trained in somatic therapies including Sensorimotor Psychotherapy a somatic approach for the treatment of trauma. AEDP is also a somatic approach to psychotherapy. I have experience and training in Hakomi, Authentic Movement, Feldenkrais, Continuum, Body-Mind Centering, Zen meditation. My spiritual background is informed by 20+ years of practice in meditative traditions. I am a dedicated movement and visual artist. I have a long-standing practice in contemporary dance, yoga and somatic modalities and studied Japanese Butoh for over 10 years, which is a movement art form rooted in esoteric embodiment and meditative traditions and existential inquiry.

Evidence Based Cognitive therapies: I have training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. I am certified in CBTp by Dr. Kate Hardy Stanford University and also have co-trained the CBTp foundations training for therapists at Stanford University. I also have training in DBT, ACT, Feeling safe program, Compassion Focused Therapy and EMDRp. I am psychodynamically trained and draw from the work of Internal Family Systems and existential approaches

Sex therapy: I have training in clinical health care and sex positive therapy from TASHRA Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance and South Shore Sexual Health Center. I receive mentorship and regular sex therapy consultation Joseph Winn MSW, LICSW, CST-S. I provide workshops and trainings to clinicians at UCSF and CIIS on alternative sexualities and providing sex positive, kink affirming health care.

Psychosis Spectrum therapies, Advocacy and Education: I am trained in CBTp, CFT, feeling safe approach, voice dialogue, DBT and EMDRp. I am also an educator and provide trainings to clinicians at universities such as UCSF, Stanford and CIIS. I’ve worked in 1st episode psychosis clinics for over 13 years serving transition age youth, adolescents and young adults. I provide trainings to psychiatry residents on evidenced based, compassionate and collaborative care to individuals who hear voices and/or experience variant perceptual states. I have worked in schools and wrap around services in Contra Costa County, providing therapy, crisis management and group therapy support to unhoused youth in Richmond CA. I co-produced the Stanford-UCSF Community Education Day for Psychosis for 3 years, guided by values of community building, epistemic justice and neurodiversity.

Professional Affiliations:

Kink Aware Proffessionals

Bay Area Open Minds

AEDP Institute

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

Manhattan Alternative

Trainings